2006 Spyker C12 LaTurbie

What to drive when a Porsche Carrera GT is commonplace

2006 Spyker C12 LaTurbie

Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker did not have this car in mind when the brothers formed their coachbuilding company in Amsterdam back in 1898. But these Dutch boys were obsessed with craftsmanship, and that first Benz-engined automobile was quite a machine. That same year, Jake and Henny also constructed the golden state coach, still in use in the Netherlands today, for the coronation of Dutch queen Wilhelmina.

These achievements provide a thin editorial tether to what’s happening with Spyker today, but you might say the company has always been about the creation of premium vehicles that the babes really go for. After all, Sharon Stone drives a Spyker in the upcoming “Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction.” But moreover, Spyker represents exclusivity in a supercar market where a Ferrari or a Porsche are increasingly commonplace.

Spyker first debuted the C12 LaTurbie at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, and the car is shown to Americans for the first time at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. Quite a piece of work, this, what with its 6.0-liter W12 engine sourced from Audi, good for 500 horsepower, 443 lb.-ft. of torque, acceleration to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, and 196-mph top speed. This, combined with the C12 LaTurbie’s unique design and gorgeously detailed interior, will set you back $362,500.

That’s plenty of bank, but some people like knowing they own one of just a handful made, and in places like Newport Beach, Calif., and the Hamptons on Long Island, driving a hand-built Spyker in a sea of Italian and German supercars instantly sets you apart from the crowd. But it’s more than the C12 LaTurbie’s design that makes it special. Inside, you can get a turned aluminum dashboard decorated with Chronoswiss gauges, and buyers choose from several different leather upholstery options, including quilted seatbelt covers. There’s even a custom-fitted Louis Vuitton luggage set available.

Wonder if Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker would know what to do with that sort of bling.